Legal Keywords Dominate AdWords’ Most Expensive for US

The legal sector has virtually covered a list of the most expensive keywords for Google’s AdWords platform in the US.

SearchEngineWatch analysed a dataset of 80 million AdWords terms to find the ones attracting the biggest cost per click. Many of the trends published in the study provide a nod to local marketing strategies, being specific to American states and cities.

A significant majority of the most expensive terms are positioned within the legal space (78%), with the phrase ‘best mesothelioma lawyer’ costing a staggering $935.71 per click. With top terms priced at $381.65, water damage-related searches are the second most-popular set.

As high as these figures might seem, notes from the SearchEngineWatch report they reflect a high return on investment.

Legal settlements for a mesothelioma case have been known to scale the $1 million barrier, while there are thought to be huge costs and claims associated with water damage.

Following the top two categories, B2B, finance and health are among other sectors costing advertisers the most.

US vs UK

SearchEngineWatch had also analysed rates for keywords in the UK earlier this year, revealing major differences in spend and content in comparison to those in the States.

The most expensive search for Britain was ‘play live blackjack,’ costing £148.52 per click. Not only is it cheaper than many of the top 100 keywords in the US, it also belongs to a category absent across the pond. Online gambling, while adding up to 77% of the top search terms in the UK, is illegal in the US.

The infographic below shows the UK’s top 25 most expensive keywords on the AdWords platform, where only three out of 25 of them are not related to gambling.